The Commentaries on the Timaeus of Plato — trans. Thomas Taylor

\ml tins l>< cause the w m id likew i*e is a (hid. [’or that wliicli is partic i pa ted tlnre, Imt dm s not p trticipate of a p irticipati d nature, is cntiri lv more tot d.

It is e\ ideiit lioweier, tliil I In- participation is not eipial in liotli. I'm da iw«iviuHioH and ttMott of inti l/ig tblen, u /iii It HtiU t iiipluifiiig Ut < till [Hirtu ‘Jniluiii, i.v ilif/cixnl from t/uit of miim/’/c iiiihtn s. I( appears therefore, that tin order nl eternity, is mipenor to that ol animal its, If, and is provimati !v sU|H iior, and that it is the cause to iutelligibh s of an i ii \ a rial ih ■ sameness ol siib'ishuee. I leiice some mu may cunsidi r it as the same with Jn I'nui/h /a i/. I his how • ur, is a » o-ordinated cause, and lather imp alls a sameness ot subsistence about i lier^V. Ihit i trrin/if Is .in exempt t aiise. It also appi ais, that < leimlv is lh< » ompn hei|s|oii ami union ol many in¬ telligible unities. I (i m i ills said h\ I lie |' bald a ail j Ol aeles to In Jiithei-begotten huh l, b< « aiise it illuiniuati s all things w it Ii unit) inn buhl. ** I ol - this alone, [says tlii’Oracle] bv plucking abundantly from th< strength ol the lather, the (lower ol intellect is enabled l»v nit* lied ion 1 to impart a paternal intellect to all the fountains and principles; together with intellectual eiiei gv, and a |m rpetual permanency, according to an imsluggish revolution I’or In urn lull ol paternal deity, which the < bade calls the (lower ol inti Ih i t, it illuminates all tliinus with int< licet, and with intellectual perception invariably tin - same, and also with tin* ability ul revol¬ ving and * nergi/ing hi an amatory mailm r, about tin* pi inciple ol all things. 1 liese tliinns however, 1 , volvo in the inaccessible recesses ol the reasoning power.

.Vnain however, on all sides investigating the roneeplioiis of (In- philosoplu-r about eternity, let Us consider vvliat is meant by etcrmtij abiding in one. l or we ask ill what one? Is it in the "vud, as appeared to In- tin- case, to the must theo¬ logical of the interpret rs ? ltut the good, does not ev, n abide in itsell, on account of its simplicitv, as we mav learn in the first hypothesis ol the Parmenides, and as he admits. .Much less therefore, cun any thing else abide in it. Pur in short, no¬ thin:; is in it,'nothin;; subsists together with it, on account ut its Ising exempt from a co-ordination with any thin" whatever. To which may Im* added, that it is not usual to call it cithei "nod, or one, but the garni, and the one, in order that we mav form a conception of its monadic transcendency, vyhich is beyond

1 for ro nm ln-ri-, ir.nl ry i i.rii.

1 All things .ire coiupn litiiili il h> l/o nut, lint u< lliing Milnnls fircuhtirty iu it. Ami I he comprrliiioiuii dull tilings tiv it, ii m.limit; ninie I lino llic intflahle uuiuu which it imparts to all ihingc, ainl liuoiigli which all tilings latolnt bounded hy it tinoii i\.]

1 All things .ire coiupn litiiili il h> l/o nut, lint u< lliing Milnnls fircuhtirty iu it. Ami I he comprrliiioiuii dull tilings tiv it, ii m.limit; ninie I lino llic intflahle uuiuu which it imparts to all ihingc, ainl liuoiigli which all tilings latolnt bounded hy it tinoii i\.]

TIM.FIS or PLATO.

p. 187

every known nature. .Now however, eternity is not said to abide in the one, lint m uric ; so tli.it it does not abide in the gwtl. J)oo>. therefore, tin* abiding of eter¬ nity in one, signify tlio united nature as it w* re fit’ it, ami the abidim: of it in it" ow n one; and manili ^t that it is one multitude 1 < >r, in short, does it indicate the nmulx-r ot that w hich does not proceed, in order that it may lie the cause of union to tii* multitude f»f intelli^ihles * This imh'ed, we also sav is true, in tinier that it may impart to itself tin stuhlo, and the whole, prior to eternal natures. For tins i> to uhuk in one ; \i/. to have the whole at once present, and the same im¬ mutable hyparxis. Fvery divine nature therefore, lu pins its eniT^v from itself; so that eternity will establish itself in one, and connectedly contain itself after the sain*' manner, prior to eternal beings. Hence it is not In-in::, as Stralo the physiologist says, which is the cause of permanency, 1 but eternitv. And it is tin; cause of a permanency,* n*it always in veneration, or becoming to In*, but which immutably exists in one, as TimaMis s.ivs.

Hence it is not In-in::, as Stralo the physiologist says, which is the cause of permanency, 1 but eternitv. And it is tin; cause of a permanency,* n*it always in veneration, or becoming to In*, but which immutably exists in one, as TimaMis s.ivs.

It however, eternity exhibits a duad, ihuuirh we frerpienlly endeavour to con¬ ceal it; for the ei/unys is conjoined to firing according to the same, and eternity rtimy is, that trhich alzcnys is (r, «** mv); it appi'ars that it will have the monad of beinv prior to itself, and tin* on* beinir; and that it will abide in tln> one, as our preceptor also thought concerning it; in order that it may be our prior to tin; duad, as not departin'.: from unity. And the duad iud* * d, mitered* ntlv * xhihilinv mill t it lid* in itself, is unit* <1 to t h« • on*- b* in:;, in which eternitv abides ; but the mult it ud** ol mt< llivil.les is united to cl* rnity its* If, w Inch com])reheuds «*x* mptly anil unirally, all the summits of them. For that the cone* ptiou of tin- one beiii" and ot eternity dilh-r, isrvid*-nt. For tn he a/wm/s, and In be simply, are entirely dill* rent. Il therefore, a certain tiling nlu ay* is, this thin:: also /*,- but not vice versa, if a certain tiling *'?, it hk* wis*- ahrays is. II cure to ciist i-» more total and aeneric, than to exist nhniys. \ud on this acroimt likewise, it is nearer to the cause of all bein-s, of till* unities 111 111 in-s, and of neration and matter. 'Flics*; thre«* things thcretore, an* successiv*;; vi/.. the one lieiirj, as the monad of Ix-inin*; eternity as a tluad, having tin* n'zcays in conjunction with existence; and the elirnal, which participates both of existence, and tin* alvvavs, and is not primarily perpetu.il beni" ok*- < termty. And tin* on** bein^ 111 * 1 * -* - * I, *> ah>ne the cause of exist¬ ence to all things of whatever kind they may I**-, whether they r\i-t trulv, or not truly, lint eternity is the cause of permanency in existence. Strain therefore, oii”Ut rather to have asserted this, and not to have d* lined h**iit£ to lie the per-

1 lor in tin- jtlac-c, it ij nci-*s«ary l<> r*.*«J finjioiq*.

* Her*- I*)** l"*r *'iairiait iia/iotv*.

PHOCLIS ON TIIK

[rook iv.

I Mi

iiianeurv * ot lieintrs; as In* writes in his treatise Concerning Being, thus transfer¬ ring the peculiarity' of eternity to hein*'. For neither in generated natures, is it tlie same tiling to lie generated, and to remain generated. Hut the peculiarity of generation i' for that which has it to exhibit another and another [condition of sub¬ sistence]; and the peculiarity of generation remaining, or being permanent, is time in which ireneratiou exists. And what time is in generation, that eternity is in essence Cnneerniiur the developeinenl however, ot that mighty «li\ init v eternity abiding in one, let thus inueli sullice.